UN: 1.5m Syrians need humanitarian aid

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said up to 1.5 million Syrians now need humanitarian aid, up from the one million estimated at the end of March. “The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate,” said the latest OCHA bulletin. “It is now estimated that up to 1.5 million people need humanitarian assistance.” In Homs province, 250,000 people need aid, OCHA said. In Idlib province in the northwest, a hive of rebel activity near the Turkish border, the Red Crescent reports that 350,000 people are needy. The UN has agreed with the Syrian authorities to establish four humanitarian hubs to allow the delivery of essential aid. A reconnaissance mission to Idlib, Daraa, Homs and Deir al-Zor has now been completed, OCHA said, and hubs may initially be established in the latter two. But the deployment of staff to field locations is on hold “given the security situation.” The number of refugees fleeing the conflict to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey has meanwhile reached more than 86,000.